AU Urges Morocco to offer logistical Support for Sahel G5 Force

The African Union called on Morocco to bring logistical support for the Sahel G5 anti-terrorism force in the wake of the terrorist attack on a restaurant in Burkina Faso leaving 20 dead.

The African Union Chairman, President of Guinea Alpha Condé called on Morocco, Nigeria, Egypt, Algeria and South Africa to offer logistical support to make the G5 force operational.

President Condé also condemned in the strongest terms the terrorist attack on a restaurant popular with expatriates in Ouagadougou.

Last June, the UN Security Council unanimously welcomed in a resolution the deployment of a military force by West African states to combat terrorism and arms, drug and human trafficking in the Sahel region after France and the US reached a consensus on the issue.

Five African countries, namely Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger (known as G5 countries), agreed to form the special counterterrorism force of 5,000 troops for the Sahel region.

The Sahel has become a breeding ground for several terrorist groups taking advantage of vast swathes of deserts and porous borders to engage in various terrorist, trafficking and criminal activities.

Radicalization and human trafficking are major threats in the impoverished region, where Al Qaeda and associated groups have a significant presence, while the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) also appears to be staking a claim in the volatile region.